War of the inverts

[Miamireefer]

Well about 2 weeks ago I had bought 3 queen conches for my tank and within the second day I had seen one of my blue leg hermits attacking a conch(for the shell I imagine) and sure enough nomatter how many times I assisted the conch in keeping the hermit away I can't there the whole time and BAM I lost 1. Well last night round 11 I look at the tank while the moonlights are on and I see a war brewing between my last 2 conches and about 4 blue legs and even my emerald crab was beating up my conch.

The tank supplies these greedy bastards with enough algae for feeding and I also have turbo snails they don't even touch. I FREAKING HATE blue legs!!! Sorry just vebting I lost 20 bucks to a 50 cent hermit. I guess I will be trying something cheaper like nassarius snails(not sure on spelling). I know they are top nothc sand sifters and alot cheaper.

This post is more of a warning to those who decide on buying a queen or fighting conch and have hermits in general. stay away.


Nick

[Sk8r]

WHAT on this green earth are they selling for bluelegs nowadays? My bluelegs couldn't attack a strombus grazer, let alone a queen conch!

A true blueleg has dark, nearly black legs, red antennae, the big ones have a red lining to the claws, and the whole crab at its adult max size is about the size of your pinky fingernail.

A scarlet hermit is about the size of your thumbnail, and is a giant compared to the blueleg.

[maddyfish]

My blue legs are very small as well, and they are model citizens.

[Indermark]

My blue legs are small and I have never seen any of them attack any snails. If anything they clean the tops of their shells (the snails shells)

[AquaReeferMan]

Yeah I keep hearing horror stories about blue legs, I agree someone is selling the wrong kind somewhere. I never have any problems with my blue legs and all the people around here get them from the same place with no problems also.

[spoiledcats]

Okay, so what kind of hermit is this that was pulled out of the shell next to it and killed by another one? The hermits I have seem to be getting pretty big, and they have blue legs like the one in the picture. So what would you say they are?

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g282/whiteshark_2006/P5240035.jpg

[geckofrog]

this is why I don't keep hermits in my tank, I don't trust them ;)

[goofster]

Are you sure that's not a hermit molt?

[cristhiam]

I have two conches and 20+ blue legs and scarlet. they don't seem to mess with them. Maybe they are just hungry.

[bluehippotang]

blue legs are murderers

[Amphiprion]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7637678#post7637678 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Sk8r
WHAT on this green earth are they selling for bluelegs nowadays? My bluelegs couldn't attack a strombus grazer, let alone a queen conch!

A true blueleg has dark, nearly black legs, red antennae, the big ones have a red lining to the claws, and the whole crab at its adult max size is about the size of your pinky fingernail.

A scarlet hermit is about the size of your thumbnail, and is a giant compared to the blueleg.

Are we talking about the same Clibanarius tricolor?

[Miamireefer]

Well the proof is in the pictures so here it goes! I really want to smash these POS's!!! Like I said I HAD 3 queen conches.

:mad2:


http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/grinchof305/IMG_1762.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/grinchof305/IMG_1763.jpg

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/grinchof305/IMG_1770.jpg

[Amphiprion]

You had 3 in a 46 gallon? That may have been the problem. Even one (IMO/E) is much too much for only a 46 gallon tank. They can starve each other out very quickly in small tanks.

[spoiledcats]

Are you sure that's not a hermit molt?

No, my son saw the one hermit kill the other one and take the shell, only to leave it and go back to its own shell afterward. Anyway, these hermits I have are getting big, so if they aren't blue legs, what are they? I didn't know blue legs were supposed to stay so small.

[Miamireefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7639938#post7639938 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Amphiprion
You had 3 in a 46 gallon? That may have been the problem. Even one (IMO/E) is much too much for only a 46 gallon tank. They can starve each other out very quickly in small tanks.

No offense but they were doing quite fine..... My issue was the fact they got ambushed..... GThey were taking care of my sand bottom and showed no signs of being ill...... No starvation trust me...


Nick

[DirtySouth056]

Where did you buy the hermits, should have taken them out after witnessing the first assault.

[Sir Crabby]

Any hermit will kill snails or another hermit if it needs a bigger shell. When you get hermit you must put a variety of sized shells in or they will kill for new shells.

[Amphiprion]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7640229#post7640229 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Miamireefer
No offense but they were doing quite fine..... My issue was the fact they got ambushed..... GThey were taking care of my sand bottom and showed no signs of being ill...... No starvation trust me...


Nick

Trust me--3 Strombus gigas in one 46 gallon tank (assuming with live rock, as well) is not nearly enough sand surface area to support them in the long term. They will not display any visible (or even really noticeable) symptoms. The hermits may indeed have killed them, but it is also quite possible the hermits picked them off as they were dying/dead.

[spoiledcats]

Any hermit will kill snails or another hermit if it needs a bigger shell. When you get hermit you must put a variety of sized shells in or they will kill for new shells.

I had a bunch of shells of different sizes on the sand. But one hermit just wanted the other hermit's shell. Also, when I put too many shells on the sand, my hippo tang picks them all up and puts them into the rocks. He doesn't like them on the sand.